


Don't Wash Away with the Tide

by carpemomento



Category: One Direction (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Fluff, Freeform, M/M, they go to the beach a lot
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-12-27
Updated: 2013-12-27
Packaged: 2018-01-06 07:10:55
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,930
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1103950
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/carpemomento/pseuds/carpemomento
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Louis is the sand and Harry builds a castle.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Don't Wash Away with the Tide

**Author's Note:**

  * For [notatruefan](https://archiveofourown.org/users/notatruefan/gifts).



> This isn't what I planned at all, but it's what my brain wanted to write. Enjoy (:

They meet at a playground and Harry still finds it so very odd.

It’s January and the snow is beginning to fall, but that doesn’t bother Harry, he takes his time walking through the park, it’s relaxing. He’s rounding a corner and changing his course to get food, when he glances to the playground, out of habit, and - oh, a boy is there in the sandbox. It’s cold, far to cold for a child to be alone at the park, he thinks to himself. Harry makes his way over the boy and cautiously sits in front of him. The boy glances up and oh, he’s not a boy, far from it. He’s Harry’s age, he’s absolutely gorgeous and his eyes, they’re so mesmerizing, they tell so many stories and Harry wants to memorize them all.

“Would you like to go to the beach?” the boy who is actually a man asks. It startles Harry and it takes him a few beats too long to reply.

“The beach? It’s January and cold and it’s starting to snow, why would you want to go to the beach?” Harry questions. He’s so puzzled right now, but he’s too curious to leave.

“The beach is my favorite place in the world. I feel so complete there. And you ask a lot of questions, a simple yes or no would suffice.” he goes back to playing with the sand. How are his hands not cold? How is his body not completely frozen when all he has on is a simple sweater, a pair of jeans, Vans, and a beanie? Harry is bundled up with a trench coat, beanie and scarf, two pairs of gloves, and a pair of long johns under his jeans; he’s even managed to wear two pairs of socks. 

“But I don’t even know anything about you? We’re complete strangers.” Harry reminds him.

He sighs “I’m Louis Tomlinson, I’m 24, and I think you’re breathtaking, but you ask to many questions” he states proudly. 

“Hi Louis,” he revels in the way his name sounds rolling off his tongue. Louis. In his head he drawls it out and it’s the greatest name he’s ever heard. “I’m Harry Styles, I’m 22, and yes, i would like to go to the beach.”

Louis beams and Harry thinks that Louis is the most fascinating person he’s ever met.

They decide to take Louis’ car and Harry wonders how much of a coincidence it is that they parked next to each other. Louis drives way too fast, and ignores so many road signs, and he sings. He sings and it rewrites the script in Harry’s bones, changes the wiring of his nerves, and Harry is sure his heart sync’s with Louis’. If Louis notices the shift in Harry, he doesn’t mention it, but Harry swears Louis’ smile gets a little brighter, and his eyes get a little softer, and his chest puffs out a little more. 

They get to the beach and Louis dashes straight to the water and Harry yells after him, calling him insane, but there’s so much fond in his voice, and he gets a little dizzy because all this is so much. He’s only known Louis for about 2 hours and everything inside of him craves to know more, he wants to know what Louis loves, wants to know the story that courses through his veins, Harry wants to know it all. 

“Harry come join me!” Louis shouts from the edge of the water. He looks so small from where Harry is standing, but he looks like he belongs on the beach, in the ocean.

He shrugs off his trench coat and the air tickles him, wisps around and kisses the bare bits of his skin. It’s cold out, he already knew this, but right now, he feels so warm. He convinces himself it’s because of the energy running through him, but he knows it’s because of Louis.

The sun is no where to be found, but Louis does this thing where he stretches his arms out and looks up towards the sky, and as if on cue, the sun appears. It goes almost as quickly as it came, but apparently that’s all Louis needed. He laughs at the top of his lungs and it’s so infectious that Harry starts laughing with him and they take off running. There’s no purpose to it, no destination, but Harry loves it. Loves the way Louis’ smile never falters, the way the wind dances with his hair, the way the sand never breaks and keeps Louis steady, and he loves Louis. It’s silly to say because Louis is still so new and there’s so much to be discovered, but Harry can’t help it. He’ll deal with the reality of it another day, but for now he stores it away with everything else that has to do with Louis.

They settle in a spot a few hundred feet from where they started and everything just feels so wonderful.

“Tell me Curly,” Louis begins. Harry smiles at the nickname, as if they’ve known each other for years instead of hours, “what made you say yes to coming to the beach?”

Harry wants to say it’s because he wanted to learn the stories that swim in Louis’ eyes, wanted to know why he was in a playground on a cold January day, but he saves those questions for another day.

“It’s because I find you intriguing.” Harry says instead. And that must be the right answer because Louis is beaming again, brighter than ever, and yeah, Harry loves him.

They spend a few more hours at the beach before they head back. This drive is different though, the space between them is gone. Louis’ hand lingers on Harry’s thigh and Harry feels so alive inside. Louis is unlike anyone he’s ever met, he’s all smiles, and endless possibilities, and just so life changing.

Before Harry gets out the car, Louis stops him and pulls him into a hug. Louis is all soft edges and warm skin and Harry doesn’t think he’ll ever grow tired of him.

“Thank you for today, Harry.” Louis whispers into his neck. Harry can feel him smile.

No, thank you. He wants to say, he wants Louis to know how much he affected him, but he just squeezes him a little tighter and smiles a little bigger.

Harry never stops smiling that night. He smiles the short drive home, smiles all through his dinner, and his face almost splits in half when he realizes that Louis slipped a piece of paper with his number on it into the pocket of Harry’s coat. 

That’s the first night Louis leaves a piece of himself in Harry’s life and that’ when Harry decides to build a castle.

〜

It’s the Spring, and all the snow is gone, the flowers are blooming, and Louis is Harry’s. He’s not sure when they confirmed it, but Harry overheard Louis refer to him as his boyfriend when he was on the phone one night, and that was that.

They go to the beach more, and each time is better than the last, but Harry still worries that Louis will wash away. He belongs on the beach, belongs with each grain of sand, deserves to be pushed and pulled with the tide and kissed by the sun. And that’s what worries Harry. He feels as if he’s keeping Louis from what he loves the most, keeping him from being his true self. But then all of that goes away when Louis smiles at him, and he’s just so overwhelming that Harry finds it a little hard to breathe.

“What’s wrong, love?” Louis asks as he comes running up to Harry.

I’m worried that I’m holding you back he wants to say. “Nothing at all.” Harry brushes it off with a smile. Louis is here with him right now and that’s all that matters.

“Well then come join me down by the water!” Louis shouts and he’s running away again and Harry obliges.

It’s months before Harry finally tells Louis what’s wrong.

 

〜

 

With the summer comes countless trips to the beach and more worry for Harry. And if Louis notices, he keeps it to himself.

Louis leaves more traces of himself at Harry’s apartment. Like the burn on the counter from when Louis tried to cook, or the crack in Harry’s headboard when things got a little too heated, or even the toothbrush that he has hidden in Harry’s bathroom drawer. Harry keeps it to himself, locks it away in the spaces between his bones. 

“Harry darling,” Louis says one night, when they’re lying in his bed “you’re absolutely magical, do you know that?” as if it’s information that’s so obvious.

And Harry kisses him because he’s not the magical one, Louis is. Louis is the one that swept him off his feet with one insane question. Harry is lucky, so very lucky. He has a boy that’s so full of life and brighter than the sun and he doesn’t care how cliche is it, because it’s true. 

“What was that for?” Louis aks with a smile on his face. 

“You’re like the sand, you know.” Harry states instead of answering. 

Louis turns to face him with a puzzled look etched into his face.

“It’s hard to explain, but you’re everywhere, yet still all in one place. Does that make sense?” Louis shakes his head, so Harry continues. “You leave traces of yourself everywhere you go, just like sand. It’s like you have so much of you inside, that you can give it all away and still be you.”

“Harry that doesn’t make sense.” Louis interrupts.

“Okay, I guess what i’m trying to say is that I don’t want you to be washed away. You belong on the beach, you belong in the sand. When we first met you told me that it’s makes you feel complete. And I worry that I’m keeping you from feeling complete.” he whispers.

“Harry, look at me will ya?” Louis reaches to turn Harry’s face. “I love the beach yes, but it’s not my favorite place anymore. Anywhere you are is my favorite place.” he explains. And now Harry is smiling.

“And I’m never washing away, I’m here to stay.” And that’s all Harry needs to hear before he’s kissing Louis again.

It’s slow and Louis is running his fingers through his hair and any ounce of worry is gone. They take things even slower. Harry takes his time to prep Louis, gently pushes himself inside, and waits until Louis tells him to move. It’s different that night, Harry tries to tell Louis so much more than he could ever say. He tells him he loves him by tracing his lips across Louis’ chest and leaving his fingerprints on Louis’ thighs. And Louis understand it all.

That night Louis leaves his heart with Harry and it’s everything he’s wanted.

 

〜

And so it’s like this, they still go to the beach and Harry no longer worries and Louis still shines.

They moved in together during Christmas time and Harry’s castle is finally complete. They find a place on the beach, much to Louis’ pleasure and it’s everything they could ever want.

It’s January and Harry never asked Louis why he was at the park that day, but it doesn’t even matter anymore. Not when Louis is smiling at him from the water, even more dazzling than he was the first day they met.

“Harry the water is calling for you!” Louis laughs out, and like always, Harry goes to him.

**Author's Note:**

> I realized not writing a Christmas fic for a gift exchange was pretty asinine and I feel awful about it, but i hope you enjoyed it.


End file.
